Philips and Apollo Hospitals collaborate to strengthen stroke and structural heart disease care in India

New Delhi: Philips, a leader in health technology, and Apollo Hospitals have announced the signing of a non-exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore potential initiatives to advance stroke care and structural heart disease management across India. Any specific initiatives will be subject to definitive agreements and required approvals.

Under the MOU, the parties intend to strengthen technology-enabled care pathways informed by real-world clinical practice. By combining Philip’s advanced imaging and image-guided therapy capabilities with Apollo’s clinical expertise, the initiative intends to support integrated decision-making across diagnosis and intervention, particularly in complex, time-sensitive scenarios.

The collaboration comes at a critical juncture for India’s healthcare system. India recorded over 1.25 million new stroke cases in 2021, nearly double the number reported in 1990, according to The Lancet Neurology, reflecting a sharp rise in both incidence and prevalence over the past three decades. This growing disease burden is mirrored in national mortality data, with cardiovascular diseases now the leading cause of death in India, accounting for nearly one‑third of all deaths, as per the Registrar General of India. These trends underscore the urgent need for integrated, technology-enabled approaches to diagnosis, intervention, and long-term care.

Roy Jakobs, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips, said, “Healthcare systems in India are at a pivotal moment, with rising incidence of complex cardiovascular and neurological conditions placing increasing demands on clinicians. Through this collaboration with Apollo Hospitals, Philips aims to bring its global platforms in advanced imaging and image-guided therapies to help shape more resilient, data-driven care pathways supporting earlier intervention, greater precision, and sustainable improvements in patient outcomes at scale.”

Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder and Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “As India’s healthcare needs grow in complexity, the integration of advanced technology with clinical expertise is essential to deliver scalable, high-quality care. Our collaboration with Philips brings together Apollo’s legacy of clinical excellence with Philips’ AI-enabled advanced imaging solutions to further strengthen our stroke and structural heart disease pathways. By leveraging precision imaging to enable faster, more informed interventions, we aim to enhance operational efficiency while improving functional recovery and accelerating discharge for our patients. Our pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to patient-centric care have defined our journey for over four decades and will continue to drive innovations that place better outcomes and human dignity at the heart of everything we do.”

The MoU was signed by Roy Jakobs, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips, and Ms. Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Health Co Ltd. in the presence of Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder & Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

The MoU focuses on two clinical areas: structural heart disease and stroke care. In structural heart disease, initiatives aim to improve procedural accuracy, optimise contrast usage, and strengthen real-time imaging guidance. For stroke care, the collaboration aim to accelerate imaging workflows and streamline patient pathways enabling intervention within the golden hour, reducing door-to-needle time, improving clinical efficiency, and supporting timely, consistent care when every minute matters.